Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry-standard communication protocol that defines how electronic devices can communicate and transfer power between one another. USB was developed in the mid-1990s in an effort to standardize the connection of peripherals, such as input devices (e.g., mice and keyboards), printers, portable media players, and disk drives. USB ports have become a common sight on many electronic devices. For example, one or more physical USB ports are often found on electronic devices, such as mobile phones, tablets, personal computers, and video game consoles.
New functionalities or abilities can be provided by connecting a peripheral to an electronic device. For example, video recorders (“webcams”), input devices, and external storage can easily be connected to the USB port of a personal computer through a wired connection (e.g., via a USB cable).
Wired connections ensure that data and/or power can be more consistently delivered from an electronic device to the peripheral, or vice versa. For example, an external storage device may be configured to transfer data and power via a single wired connection with a USB port of the electronic device. However, wired connections may be undesirable from an aesthetic perspective and are often impractical in certain situations (e.g., when clear channels between the peripheral and the electronic device are not available). Wireless connections, meanwhile, may have poor connectivity and/or limited bandwidth that impact a user's ability to utilize a peripheral. Moreover, wireless peripherals typically require a dedicated power source that requires its own wired connection (e.g., a dedicated AC/DC adapter) or must be periodically replaced (e.g., a battery).